  ABL
join:2005-12-20 | reply to Candle4 Re: [Help] Anyone use Plaxo?
Thanks for that, I will NOT be installing it. |
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 plaxomark
join:2006-12-28 Sunnyvale, CA
1 edit | Hi everyone,
My name is Mark Jen and I'm a Product Manager at Plaxo. I know there used to be a bit of controversy around Plaxo, what we do, and how it works. I wanted to let you guys know that Plaxo is not spyware and it's not malicious at all.
Plaxo does two things: 1. it syncs your data between computers, programs and devices and 2. it allows you to automatically exchange updated contact information with people you know.
If you have any more questions, please let me know. Feel free to post right here in this thread.
Thanks, Mark |
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  Cudni La Merma - Vigilado Premium,MVM join:2003-12-20 Someshire
| Welcome to the site 
There is a lot of reference out there that Plaxo product(s) is/are spyware. Put the arguments forward why you feel that is not and why do you think some (a lot) claim that it is (email spam, web tracking, to name some)
Cudni -- Some are born to failure, others achieve it, all deserve it.Help yourself so God can help you.MVP, Microsoft Windows Security 2006 |
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 plaxomark
join:2006-12-28 Sunnyvale, CA
| @lilhurricane - Thanks for the warm welcome! I hope I can help clear up confusion 
@Cudni - Plaxo doesn't exhibit any of the features that would qualify it as spyware. The software doesn't track your browsing history, steal passwords, record your keystrokes, etc. It doesn't install itself without the user's knowledge and is super easy to find and uninstall if a user wishes.
Whew. That was a mouthful 
As far as the spam reputation, here's what happened: Plaxo has a feature that allows users to request updated contact information from their friends. Users who choose to use this feature select the contacts they'd like to request updated info from and then hit send. Plaxo then sends update request e-mails on their behalf. So, Plaxo sends a lot of e-mails, but they are always user initiated.
I know you're thinking "well, Plaxo still sent all those messages!" and I totally agree. So in the past year we've actually taken steps to fix the problem. We're phasing out the features that allow users to send mass update request e-mails.
Unfortunately, a lot of people out there are confused about what Plaxo does and have just mistakenly labeled it as spyware/spam/malware. It's definitely partly our fault for allowing users to send out so many e-mails, so we're addressing those issues now and trying to spread the word about how Plaxo actually works 
@Steve - Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully one day, you'll give Plaxo a try. We've got a lot of new features coming out soon in a big 3.0 release; maybe one of them will be something you're interested in  |
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  ABL
join:2005-12-20 | How did you become aware of this thread, that is what I would like to know. |
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 plaxomark
join:2006-12-28 Sunnyvale, CA
| Hi Alphablue, I saw this thread in one of my Bloglines search feeds. I'm not exactly sure how it got in there (since there doesn't seem to be any feed on this thread), but I clicked through and here I was  |
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  ABL
join:2005-12-20
| said by plaxomark :Hi Alphablue, I saw this thread in one of my Bloglines search feeds. I'm not exactly sure how it got in there (since there doesn't seem to be any feed on this thread), but I clicked through and here I was Thank you for taking the time to address my concerns. I really appreciate it alot.  |
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 plaxomark
join:2006-12-28 Sunnyvale, CA | You're very welcome 
And for everyone, please feel free to e-mail me at mark@plaxo.com or IM me at plaxomark (AIM) if you've got more questions or concerns. |
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